Some help please!

Ok, this may be long so warnings in advance

We have had Tinkerbell for 3 weeks this Saturday and have found she has settled in great, and is a smashing little girl. She was in season the day we got her and finally stopped bleeding a couple of days ago, so she has been on lead walks only.

She is a very calm dog indoors, is great with the kids and we have had no problems with her whatsoever. She really has settled in great and I think is loving the routine she has, walks etc that we don't think she had from the old owners.

The only problem we have with her is her highly excited behaviour when out and about. On a walk she is normally on a long lead (extendor lead) when away from the road, and on a short lead when next to the road. She does pull an awful lot though for the first part of the walk, usually before going to the toilet, then settles down. We have brought her a halti headcollar to use, as I often have the children with me which means her pulling is difficult when I am pushing the buggy to. She did walk nicely on the halti at first but has now decided she no longer likes it. She looks really sad when it is put on, keeps her head down and often refuses to walk, which means I have to give a little tug for her to move forwards. How can I overcome this? As I say she was ok on it, for about 2 weeks and now all of a sudden she doesn't like it. How do I go about training her not to pull? We have tried stopping when she goes to far ahead, with the halti on I can turn her head and change direction before starting again, but without I find this hard.

The major problem we are having with her though is that she wants to meet and greet every person and dog she sees. This often means she will cross sides with me and attempt to drag me across the road. As soon as she spots someone coming towards us she will pull excessively, then as they pass I am finding it hard to hold her as she wants to jump on them. She has shown no sign of aggression when trying to meet people or other dogs, but is over excited and seems rather boisterous. The other day we were walking in the evening and a lady approaching asked to stroke her, I made her sit but as she approached she just jumped at her. It isn't a little jump either, she jumps completely off the ground and continues bouncing up and down until she is moved away from the person. Until we can get this behaviour stopped then I can't risk letting her off the lead. How can I teach her not to behave like this?

From the problems we are having with her when out walking, it seems that she isn't used to going for a walk. I seriously doubt whether she was socialised with people and dogs when she was younger. I think she was just put out in the garden for the day and never really taken out. There are several things that make me think this. One of which is her pooing in ths house. She has adjusted now and realsises she is taken out for a walk twice a day at least, and now knows when is going to be walked and so the pooing in the house has stopped But until the last week, she would spend ages when out on a walk looking for somewhere to poo, I really don't think she had pooed when on a lead before and so wasn't used to it, now she is much better. The other thing that makes me think she isn't used to walking is that we had her from a family on the same street as us, but the opposite end to us. We walk past her old house every day and she has never ever turned to go in to the old house, or shown any sign that she recognises the front path to it. And the lead we were given with her was brand new, didn't show much sign of use!

Because of the lack of walking, and off lead exercise we are seriously doubting her recall. She comes in from the garden first thing in the morning with no problems. But when out in the day, and there are distractions, such as other dogs, children out the back lane she won't come when called. Would we just work on this in the garden? I am just wondering if she would ignore us when we finally feel confident to let her off lead when out on a walk. We don't have many places where she can be off lead up here, therefore a lot of dog owners use the banks where we walk her and so there would be a lot of distractions!

Sorry it's so long, hope someone can help us!

They all seem to be full of energy when they first start off on a walk. We have just come to accept that the first 10 minutes or so she will not behave well. You could try to play with her indoors so she is a little more calm before going out.

Turning around with them is certainly a pain but pays off in time. They have to understand that you lead the walk and not them. It may help if you keep a few treats or some kibble with you. Hold them in your hand when you want her attention and only give them to her when she does what you want for a minute or so. Most of them are food motivated but not all so this may not work. They take time to learn so try not to get frustrated because she will likely pick up on your concerns.

Before introuducing her to a new person make her sit and wait patiently. I know this sounds hard but patience can be practiced at home before meal times. Also it helps to talk to the person she is meeting and explaining she is still learning and what to expect. She shouldn't be allowed to interact with everyone she meets as this will teach her to know you control the interactions.

It really just takes patience and consistency over time and she will learn. As a breed they have a desire to please their handlers they just have to be given enough time to learn. Hope this helps some.

There are special 'bungee' leads that you can buy from easydog, the lead bounces back the tension so the dog can't actually pull. Its good for people with arthitis, bad hands etc, so it might help you!
Most dogs pull when they first go out on a walk, i'm lucky i live in a quiet street and can just let my dog run up the road and burn off that first burst off energy. He'll stand and wait for me to catch up and then walk back to me when hes done. If in the rare occasion i have to clip on his lead or harness before this he pulls me like a train. Thats why i have one shoulder bigger then the other.

The pulling on lead can be a pain. Try taking her out with just the two of you so taht you're not hampered by the pushchair to start with. Use an ordinary collar (or a halti if she's ok with it) and every time she pulls ahead say "Heal", or whatever word you want to use, and immediately tyrn in the opposite direction - don't wait for her, just turn & pull her along with you. Keep repeating this every time she pulls ahead. It'll be boring as hell, you'll get absolutely nowhere & people will think you've gone insane, but it'll work in a fairly short time.

With the recall, you'll have to work on that at home first until it's 100%. Then when you're out with her, let her go to end of the extendable lead & then start running backwards, calling her to come in the silliest & most exciting voice you can use. If she doesn't come straight away, the lead will bring her along, so she won't actually fail.

When you have that working well, try to get over the park when there's nobody else there & try her off lead for a few minutes, calling her every couple of minutes or so. You can gradually build up the distance you let her go before recalling, and then maybe ask a neighbour or fellow dog walker to act as a distraction when you call her. That way, if she still belts off, it's going to be towards someone you know, and who will be able to grab her for you.

jstaff wrote:Before introuducing her to a new person make her sit and wait patiently. I know this sounds hard but patience can be practiced at home before meal times. Also it helps to talk to the person she is meeting and explaining she is still learning and what to expect. She shouldn't be allowed to interact with everyone she meets as this will teach her to know you control the interactions.

Good advice. Make her sit & wait. Tell the person that they shouldn't fuss her until she's calmly sitting, but to watch for a head butt if it gets too much for her.

As with all training, some things will take time. It sounds like her bad (?) behaviour is nothing more than exuberance, high spirits & friendliness - you could do a lot worse!

shakespearesdog wrote: i'm lucky i live in a quiet street and can just let my dog run up the road and burn off that first burst off energy. He'll stand and wait for me to catch up and then walk back to me when hes done. If in the rare occasion i have to clip on his lead or harness before this he pulls me like a train. Thats why i have one shoulder bigger then the other.

I'm going to get on my high horse now, and say that NO dog should be off lead on a public road, no matter how well trained they are. There are too many things could go wrong & an accident could happen which would not only harm the dog, but may also cause injury to other people.

No offense intended, I just feel that it's a little irresponsible.

I'm going to get on my high horse now, and say that NO dog should be off lead on a public road, no matter how well trained they are. There are too many things could go wrong & an accident could happen which would not only harm the dog, but may also cause injury to other people.

No offense intended, I just feel that it's a little irresponsible.

My dog is almost, always off lead and has proven himself time and time again. Perhaps if you saw my local area you would think differently.

I can't really add anything apart from its only been three weeks and she just sounds to me as if she needs some proper training. You'll get there with her. Persistance, patience and praise. Give it some time and she'll settle down. Now she is out of season she can go for longer walks and burn some energy, also do some mind stimulation exersize too. Good luck, there not always easy but so much fine to train. Xx

jstaff wrote:They all seem to be full of energy when they first start off on a walk. We have just come to accept that the first 10 minutes or so she will not behave well. You could try to play with her indoors so she is a little more calm before going out.

Turning around with them is certainly a pain but pays off in time. They have to understand that you lead the walk and not them. It may help if you keep a few treats or some kibble with you. Hold them in your hand when you want her attention and only give them to her when she does what you want for a minute or so. Most of them are food motivated but not all so this may not work. They take time to learn so try not to get frustrated because she will likely pick up on your concerns.

Before introuducing her to a new person make her sit and wait patiently. I know this sounds hard but patience can be practiced at home before meal times. Also it helps to talk to the person she is meeting and explaining she is still learning and what to expect. She shouldn't be allowed to interact with everyone she meets as this will teach her to know you control the interactions.

It really just takes patience and consistency over time and she will learn. As a breed they have a desire to please their handlers they just have to be given enough time to learn. Hope this helps some.

Thanks that really does help. She does calm down as soon as she has been for a wee and a poo which is normally within the first 15 mins or so, so I don't mind her pulling then as it is to be expected really.

When I turn her around, does this also work if I am just walking her on the collar? I have found the headcollar to be good, used it for my last dog which was a sheepdog with a herding problem who used to herd moving vehicles. It was working with Tinkerbell up until recently, but now she won't walk on the headcollar for some reason.

I already make her sit and wait for her food, and she knows to sit and not to jump on us and the kids when we greet her. So the only way I can see that working is to arrange some dummy meetings, some set ups of people I know to bump into her when on a walk to try this with her. So I'll try and do that.

Caryll wrote:The pulling on lead can be a pain. Try taking her out with just the two of you so taht you're not hampered by the pushchair to start with. Use an ordinary collar (or a halti if she's ok with it) and every time she pulls ahead say "Heal", or whatever word you want to use, and immediately tyrn in the opposite direction - don't wait for her, just turn & pull her along with you. Keep repeating this every time she pulls ahead. It'll be boring as hell, you'll get absolutely nowhere & people will think you've gone insane, but it'll work in a fairly short time.

With the recall, you'll have to work on that at home first until it's 100%. Then when you're out with her, let her go to end of the extendable lead & then start running backwards, calling her to come in the silliest & most exciting voice you can use. If she doesn't come straight away, the lead will bring her along, so she won't actually fail.

When you have that working well, try to get over the park when there's nobody else there & try her off lead for a few minutes, calling her every couple of minutes or so. You can gradually build up the distance you let her go before recalling, and then maybe ask a neighbour or fellow dog walker to act as a distraction when you call her. That way, if she still belts off, it's going to be towards someone you know, and who will be able to grab her for you.

jstaff wrote:Before introuducing her to a new person make her sit and wait patiently. I know this sounds hard but patience can be practiced at home before meal times. Also it helps to talk to the person she is meeting and explaining she is still learning and what to expect. She shouldn't be allowed to interact with everyone she meets as this will teach her to know you control the interactions.

Good advice. Make her sit & wait. Tell the person that they shouldn't fuss her until she's calmly sitting, but to watch for a head butt if it gets too much for her.

As with all training, some things will take time. It sounds like her bad (?) behaviour is nothing more than exuberance, high spirits & friendliness - you could do a lot worse!

Thankyou Caryll for your advice. You have just answered my question to Jstaff about turning her when on the collar, so will put that into practice when we go out tonight. She one or two small walks in the day with the children, I have no option but to take them as my partner is out. But also has a walk when the children are in bed, this is a longer walk, just me and her. So this will be the ideal time to practice with her.

It is also good advice about the recall, we will work on that in the garden and around the house first and build it up from there. My daughter is back in school tomorrow so I will have my mornings free, just me and the little one so will have some time to spend with Tinkerbell training her.

Thankyou, I don't think she has bad behaviour either, but she is very friendly and not everyone would appreciate her bounding towards them lol. I think we have done well with her though, she is a delightful little dog and we are very lucky to be experiencing no bigger problems with her. Like I say in the house, she is so calm, but she is loving her walks so with a bit of further training we can all enjoy them!

janey wrote:
I can't really add anything apart from its only been three weeks and she just sounds to me as if she needs some proper training. You'll get there with her. Persistance, patience and praise. Give it some time and she'll settle down. Now she is out of season she can go for longer walks and burn some energy, also do some mind stimulation exersize too. Good luck, there not always easy but so much fine to train. Xx

Thankyou. We have been enjoying the longer walks, and what's even better is we no longer have waifs and strays gathering behind her What kind of mind stimulation exercises would you recommend?

Sorry about the amount of posts, I have just realised I have no idea how to quote more than once in a post

Simple things like hiding her favourite toys, treats under cups.

I do one with Moo, if I am walking with a friend, I'll go ahead and hide one of hers toys then tell her 'find' and she does, I have it to the stage now where I can tell her to sit and wait, and then hide it, then say find. These can be done in a garden or inside, we do it in the woods as its much harder but that will come with time and training. It really is just stimulating there minds, they are clever (although sometimes they don't show it )

Sounds a good idea, we will have to invest in some toys first as she shows very little interest in them. She will have a play with a ball in the garden, but that's as far as it goes. Hoping it is just her adjusting to a new home still.

She is very food motivated though, so will try it with some treats. Lol at the not showing their cleverness, she does seem silly sometimes.

hi scubasteve im glad you have asked this as my girl pulls to and gets over excited, ive tried changing directions, stopping and starting again, trying to get her attention with a rustle of a biscuit packet as she hears that indoors and is at my feet straight away, but out side is a different matter, ive also been told that a harness is not great for a staffie as they like to pull on it as it builds their muscle, and also a halti is not gud, i do not like collars either, i have a jack who walks with her and it feels like a competition who can be in front lol, so i wud appreciate some advice to.... ALSO crystal has now started to charge other dogs on leads and is showing a little aggression and she has never donr that in the 6 months i have had her, any clues why or what i should do.... many thanks xx